WIN 100When I was a young minister in MCN, a woman had sent somebody to tell me to relax my ‘garagara’ to enjoy my Lagos ministry with them! (You can interpret garagara as zealousness for the Gospel, if you like). The woman added an interesting caveat to that ‘Homily De-Grace’ for me: ‘Tell him he would enjoy his ministry with us, that we bought the car of his predecessor!’…
The elderly man she sent must have been be persuaded of such a message of material breakthrough he was bringing to me. A message of an assurance of a car for a young man under 30. In my estimation, the man did all he could to deliver the divine admonition to reset my brain to follow and celebrate materialism. I listened to the man attentively with a pretended sense of awe. I was actually scandalized… What is a car to be used to negotiate my zeal for the Gospel, especially when it was not a zeal like the Israelis of Paul’s time: A zeal without knowledge!
Paul had written in Rom 10:1 &2
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge [KJV].
I must admit, to date, there are folks in the Church with zeal without knowledge… But, as for me, sincerely, I can boast that my zeal for anything has never been without knowledge. To date, I have refused the zeal to live my life for materialism by knowledge! I won’t be a slave to materialism. It was one of the reasons I resisted the promise of a promotion to SL, Senior Lecturer, in 2015/16 to withdraw the evidence I had submitted against Dr Amao Temitayo Ayanbisi who manipulated 94 results of graduating students even at the height of a satanic blackmail orchestrated against me in Uniiosun… At such point, scriptures, different scriptures I ‘had eaten up’ as an undergraduate would be rioting in my consciousness… “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? [Mark 8:36, KJV].
What shall it profit Bode to become an SL in 2016 to lose his purpose in life and eternity in Christ? What would Bode give in exchange for the truth, for his soul…
That nonsense, materialism and the promise of power or position of authority wasn’t and isn’t my temptation!
Bro Paul had again stated in Philippians 3:7-21 that:
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18 (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself [KJV]
Whao!
Bro Paul said he counted whatever were his gain as loss for the knowledge of Christ. To date, I have remained a rustic and raw believer in the scriptures! I don’t negotiate the scriptures. Of course, I will admit that the way I read, interpret and apply the scriptures is very radical from the way many folks around me do… That is the reason we are each and all products of our levels of understanding and applications of our knowledge of the scriptures … For instance, in the Uniosun case, I reject every attempt to take me through the road of seeking self-righteousness [v.11]. I chose the path of the righteousness which is by faith in Christ Jesus… Folks who do not know anything were looking for an impossible righteousness, a righteousness which is by flesh… What again did I choose?
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” [Phi 3:10-11].
Oh dear, ‘that I may know him and the power of his resurrection…’
To do that, what did I do? I chose ‘the fellowship of his sufferings…’ Folks don’t want to choose Christ’s fellowship of suffering. They want fellowship of power and glory… They don’t know the power is in the CROSS…
On my part, and, what happened? I chose the fellowship of the Cross for it is the only path, the journey of ‘being made conformable unto his death…’
And, what was my reason or desire? So that ‘If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the death…’
The path, the only journey to resurrection, is the way of/ through the Cross (of Christ) to His death…
Hear me, there is no resurrection without the Cross and the death on the Cross…
To be continued …
‘Bode Ojoniyi
20 April 2025
